I'm an experienced software engineer and manager. I have a number of successful projects under my belt and some really great companies on my resume. However, I'm really, really bad at the traditional whiteboard interview. I'm getting ready to start looking for a new job. Would it be worthwhile to request an alternative interview format? [more inside]
posted by panama joe
on Mar 1, 2016 -
29 answers

Currently looking to find ways to break into IT careers but lack typical routes due to a series of unfortunate events. The worst part is I'm already 24 and completely broke. [more inside]
posted by chrono_rabbit
on Feb 14, 2016 -
9 answers

I'm a software engineer who's thinking about transferring to another team at work that does way more interesting stuff, but now my current manager is trying to get me to stick around by making offers of more interesting work on this side. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by Two Stranger
on Dec 10, 2015 -
11 answers

I just went for an interview but they took it a lot more seriously than I did and now I have to tell them that I don't want the job (even though I am starting to be in need of it). How do I handle this? [more inside]
posted by ghostbikes
on Jul 3, 2015 -
25 answers

How do I compile a compelling code portfolio? What kind of selection criteria do I use, or can you recommend resources for developing it? [more inside]
posted by bookdragoness
on Jun 8, 2015 -
5 answers

I'm a junior Java/Oracle programmer. Five years from now, I'd like to be skilled and savvy enough to be able to move to a rural town and work mostly remotely as an independent contractor. What should I be learning and doing now to begin work toward this? [more inside]
posted by kitcat
on Apr 20, 2015 -
5 answers

As someone who's supposedly passionate about programming, I've read a lot of profiles, interviews, and forum threads about people's self-propelled programming careers. I invariably hear one of two stories: 'I started at 12 on an Apple II/Commodore 64' or 'I started learning from nothing two years ago and now I'm a paid junior developer!'. I fit neither of these stories. Do I still have a snowball's chance, or should I give up the ghost? [more inside]
posted by dee lee
on Apr 8, 2015 -
19 answers

I'm a brand-new grad of a web developer bootcamp and so am just starting out with JavaScript and Ruby. I wasn't the best in my class but I certainly wasn't one of the worst. I love coding and want so badly to become better at it, but I'm finding my bootcamp program's claim that 90% of grads are employed as programmers in 90 days to be very unlikely based on the two interviews I've bombed. Can there really be jobs out there for a bootcamp-grad junior programmer without a CS degree? [more inside]
posted by Yoko Ono's Advice Column
on Mar 19, 2015 -
25 answers

I need a job/career. I have a PhD in bioengineering. I spent that time analyzing brain data in Matlab. Then I got an intense programming job in Manhattan. I lasted for 10 months: It was so aversive that I worked too slowly and finally had to resign. What do you do? Do you like it? What should I do now? [more inside]
posted by zeek321
on Jan 8, 2015 -
5 answers

In short: PMP? CISA? Dev? Or all of the above?
I'm working at a small IT company (30 people). I have a CompSci degree. I went from programming to business analysis to project management with a side of information security thrown in as I'm responsible for ISO 27001 policy compliance. I'm not a "rockstar" or expert in any of those fields, but I can do them competently. (There certainly haven't been any complaints from the management.) Basically I'm a "jack of all trades, master of none". So where do I go from here? [more inside]
posted by Behemoth Judge And The Explosive Xerox
on Jun 13, 2014 -
2 answers

I interviewed for a remote programming gig recently, and they requested a trial contract before making a final offer. I'd be hired as a long-term remote contractor (year+, 100% telecommuting), not an employee. I have some questions: [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Feb 12, 2013 -
8 answers

When an interviewer asks an interviewee for a programming job to design an object-orientated elevator control system, what are they looking for in a good answer?
posted by Artw
on Jan 30, 2013 -
8 answers

On my resume and/or in a job interview, do I mention my participation in the Google Summer of Code if I failed miserably at it (technically) and then handled that failure really badly (socially/professionally)? [more inside]
posted by mock muppet
on Nov 10, 2012 -
16 answers

I can't keep living on disability. I can't go back to school. I'm not good with people. How do I find a part-time job that I can do? Are there no very-part-time CS jobs aside from freelancing? [more inside]
posted by mock muppet
on Aug 8, 2012 -
5 answers

I'm a software developer in my early 30s, working in the defense industry. I'm pretty happy with my job, but wondering if I should move on. I would be looking to move to the San Francisco area. My question is, how do I know when to leave a pretty good job? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jun 1, 2012 -
11 answers

I would like to get a new job in Chicago. What are some things I can do over the summer to maximize my odds at finding employment in the windy city? My field is software engineering. [more inside]
posted by Green With You
on Apr 23, 2012 -
8 answers

Does it make sense to block off a few months to develop the skills needed to pursue a modest career/business developing indie games and mobile apps for Android, or am I better off just getting an entry-level job at a call center and make a decent amount of money doing sales or tech support? [more inside]
posted by porcupine
on Mar 28, 2012 -
15 answers

My partner and I are currently living on separate sides of the Vancouver/Washington state border - I would very much like to move to be with her, but the job prospects for my specialties are low. One option is to work for a local company which produces bible software. From a technical standpoint, their products are excellent, the jobs pay well , have excellent medical and retirement benefits and they regularly hire from outside the faith. The catch? I am a staunch atheist, and bordering on actively anti-religious. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Feb 22, 2012 -
32 answers

I'm looking for software companies that do 1) aptitude-based hiring and 2) on-the-job training: "If you pass a (often language-agnostic) programming test, in addition to in-person interviews, maybe a code review, etc., we will train you for your job." What companies in the Chicago area follow this model? [more inside]
posted by zeek321
on Nov 5, 2011 -
1 answer

I'm good at programming computers. But I don't want to be a software developer. What can I do for a career and what should I be doing now to make it possible? [more inside]
posted by vogon_poet
on Jul 25, 2011 -
19 answers

let's assume i'm decently technically minded, and entirely burned out on my current job (technical support). let's further assume that programming is vaguely attractive and something i think i could do, and that i would like to be employable at 50-65k a year.
what language do i learn? why?
posted by radiosilents
on May 5, 2011 -
18 answers

A continuation of part 1 of my "looking for a new place to live" saga, I'm now ready to start a serious hunt for a (preferably) software development job in a new city. Problem is, I don't have any contacts in the cities I'm interested in. What's the best way to land a job in one of these towns? [more inside]
posted by mrbob14
on Mar 21, 2011 -
8 answers

Similar to firei's post, I've lived in the same town for almost all of my 23 years on this planet. I want to move to a brand-new, exciting city. Where should I go? [more inside]
posted by mrbob14
on Mar 3, 2011 -
19 answers

How does my friend overcome the catch-22 of needing experience in programming, but being unable to get a job because he doesn't have any? [more inside]
posted by biochemist
on Feb 15, 2011 -
16 answers

I need to get a new job, as soon as possible. I’m planning to get back into IT, specifically Web Programming and need advice on how to get my skills back up to speed. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 5, 2011 -
5 answers

I'm a computer programmer, and have an exciting job interview lined up. Yaaay! Help me prepare by suggesting some difficult (but reasonable) programming interview questions to practice on. Also, I would appreciate any general advice you have for succeeding at programming interviews. [more inside]
posted by coelacanth!
on Oct 28, 2010 -
12 answers

Should I become a consultant? Please help me decide! Please let me know where I can find more information. I am really clueless about legal aspects of consulting. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Sep 12, 2010 -
7 answers

I'm lacking motivation to code outside of programming classes... I enjoy the classes a lot, but when it comes to coding outside of class, I get stuck on what I want to code or what kind of projects to contribute to. [more inside]
posted by RaDeuX
on Aug 19, 2010 -
11 answers

I'm a veteran software engineer / technical lead working for an internet company. I think I've got an opportunity to really cash in at my job, and need guidance on how best to do this. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 30, 2009 -
9 answers

I have a vague plan for long-term career satisfaction. Since it's vague, I've decided to make a much smaller short-term job change to just make me a little bit happier about working. I'm not quite sure I'm doing this in the most super effective way, though. [more inside]
posted by ignignokt
on Apr 5, 2008 -
2 answers

I'm a programmer/web developer with 7 years experience. I'm looking for a new job, but I fear I don't look good on paper. How can I improve my marketability? [more inside]
posted by Vorteks
on Feb 11, 2007 -
22 answers

In my 8 remaining months before I start at Stanford, I'd like to find a job at a small (1-10 people) tech startup in the Bay Area, preferably Web-related. I have previous experience at this type of company as a Web developer, and I have useful skills. The problem: I don't have a network of people to help me find such a job, and these positions seem to be given to friends-of-friends(-of-friends) of the current employees. [more inside]
posted by jbb7
on Jan 5, 2007 -
11 answers

I am an experienced software engineer and was laid off recently. I'm currently applying for positions. My ideal would be a telecommuting gig, which is the type of position I had most recently. A certain job mailing list I subscribe to has a lot of promising positions, but many of them are marked "onsite".
Here's my question: shall I apply for some of these "onsite" positions in the hope that my qualifications will impress the hiring person enough to consider hiring me as a telecommuter? Or would this just be a waste of time for everyone concerned? [more inside]
posted by SomePerlGeek
on Sep 5, 2006 -
7 answers

In an interview for a programming job today, I was asked to write out code for a programming problem on a whiteboard. After the interview, it's bugging me that I can't figure out the "optimal" solution that they said existed, but we didn't have time to discuss. [more inside]
posted by unsoulchum
on Dec 22, 2005 -
70 answers

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